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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 17 November 1998
CHURCH COMMISSIONERS
Sandford Rectory
Mrs. Browning: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, if the Church Commissioners have transferred since 1968 the trust owning Sandford Rectory, Devon to (a) other trustees and (b) other parties. [60200]
Mr. Stuart Bell: No. Since 1930 the property has been vested in the incumbent of the benefice of Sandford with Upton Hellions by virtue of his office.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Law Lords
Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the (a) total number and (b) percentage of currently active law lords who have professional experience of (i) human rights work and (ii) commercial law. [59601]
Mr. Hoon: All sitting Law Lords have such experience.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Parole
Mr. Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what responses he has received to the consultation document "Improving Parole Decision Making"; and how he intends to proceed with the proposal to delegate authority in parole cases involving prisoners with determinate sentences of between four and 15 years. [60440]
Mr. Straw: The consultation period ended on 4 November 1998. We have received 38 responses to the paper: 33 supported the proposals in the paper in their entirety; five others offered differing degrees of support. Of these:
- three respondents had no objections to the proposals but suggested that ministerial involvement in all parole and lifer cases should cease.
- one respondent favoured further delegation to the Parole Board but suggested a cut-off point of 10 years rather than 15 years.
- one respondent suggested that the number of previous parole reviews should determine which cases should be decided by the Parole Board.
In the light of the positive responses to the paper. I have today laid before Parliament a draft Order giving effect to the proposals.
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Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of young offenders who have served a sentence at the Medway Secure Training Centre subsequently obtained a school place in each of the last five years. [59405]
Mr. Boateng:
Since Medway Secure Training Centre opened on 17 April 1998, a total of 29 trainees have been released to serve the second half of the Secure Training Order sentence under supervision in the community. At the time of release, arrangements were in place for eight to go straightaway into full time education, with 16 receiving part time tuition for several hours per week. The remaining five had no firm arrangements for education at the point of release, but provision has since been made for four of them to receive education, including two who have been placed in full time education.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is his latest estimate of the total cost of tackling the millennium computer problem including the embedded chip problem in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) other public bodies for which his Department is responsible, separately identifying expenditure to date and future expenditure; and if he will make a statement; [60060]
Mr. Straw:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the President of the Council to my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Garston (Maria Eagle) on 21 October 1998, Official Report, column 1109, in which she announced the results of the latest quarterly review of Government Departments' and agencies' progress in tackling the bug. This also covered key organisations within the wider public sector. Departments' plans have been published in the Library. The results of the next quarterly review will be announced shortly to the House and the updates to quarterly plans will be placed in the Library and on the internet.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the problems which have arisen in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) other public bodies for which his Department is responsible from millennium compliance; if he will make a statement on progress to date in tackling such problems; and what are the priority areas for remedial work. [60061]
Mr. Straw:
Four millennium compliance problems have occurred in my Department, affecting management information, statistical and payroll data. Three of these were solved before December 1997. In the fourth case, the few statistical records affected are being dealt with manually while the software is corrected. This correction is due to be completed by the end of December 1998. The agencies and public bodies for which my Department is responsible have not reported any compliance problems.
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Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the contingency plans drawn up by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) other public bodies in relation to problems arising from millennium compliance including the embedded chip problem after 31 December 1999. [60063]
Mr. Straw:
Contingency planning is a major element of the response of my Department and its agencies to the millennium date change problem. In line with recent Cabinet Office recommendations, the target is to have initial contingency plans in place by the end of January 1999.
Chief executives of national departmental public bodies and similar bodies sponsored by my Department provided quarterly progress reports against their Year 2000 plans, for publication on the Internet. These refer specifically to contingency planning.
Dr. Marek:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers ordinarily resident in a non-EU European country sought entry to the UK, by country of residence, in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what were (a) the numbers of Roma people and (b) the citizenship of the applicants, within each of the individual country totals. [59906]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The available information regarding persons applying for asylum in the United Kingdom gives a breakdown only by nationality. I regret, therefore, that the information requested is not available.
Mr. Gordon Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been provided with accommodation by local authorities in seaside towns since 1996. [60351]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
This information is not held by my Department.
Mr. Gordon Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his policy on securing accommodation (a) directly and (b) by contracting with local agencies in seaside towns for asylum seekers under the proposed new national support scheme. [60350]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The project team is currently considering the issue of the provision of accommodation, but it is too soon to indicate precisely how accommodation will be supplied. The issue is appropriate accommodation availability, not proximity to the sea.
Mr. Gordon Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what discussions he or his Department have had with local authorities and other interested parties in seaside towns regarding the availability of accommodation for asylum seekers under the proposed new national support scheme; [60348]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
There has been no such assessment on discussions directed at seaside towns.
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Mr. Gordon Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for consultation on the operation of the proposed new national support scheme for asylum seekers with (a) local authorities, (b) housing associations, (c) voluntary bodies and (d) the private sector. [60352]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
I have set up a stakeholder group, consisting of representatives of Government, local authorities, housing associations and voluntary bodies. That group will meet with the project team at key stages of the project. In addition, the project team will be consulting widely, including with representatives of the private sector, about the plans for the support system.
Mr. Gordon Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his policy on directing local authorities and housing associations to provide surplus accommodation for asylum seekers under the proposed new support arrangements. [60349]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
There will be a general duty on local authorities to assist the Secretary of State in discharging his functions to provide accommodation. That duty is to extend to registered social landlords, but only so far as is compatible with their memoranda and articles of association. A local authority is also to be under a duty to supply such information about its housing stock in such manner as the Secretary of State may reasonably direct. There will also be a power for the Secretary of State to direct local authorities to provide accommodation if he concludes that a particular local authority is unreasonably refusing to do so.
(2) what assessment he has made of the extent to which the computer systems in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) other public bodies for which his Department is responsible will be modified and tested in relation to the millennium computer problem by January 1999; and if he will make a statement. [60062]
(2) what assessment he has made of the availability of accommodation in seaside towns for asylum seekers under the proposed new national support scheme. [60347]
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